"You burnt it again." At her father's words, Janine frowned into the pot, noting the overcooked edges of the food. From the corner of her eye, she could see a few furry Pokemon in the bushes, their tails dancing above the grass, but she did not dare take her attention away from the task to make out what species they were.

Her father would often use the Safari Zone for outdoor training; in this case, basic outdoor cooking was the assignment. The word "basic" masked the difficulty she was facing, however.

The eight year old girl bit her lip. Five times… no, six now. All attempts ended in failure, and with the same mistake, no less.

"Darn it!' she hissed. "Why am I-"

"Mind your tongue." her father's words froze her body in place, draining all color from her expression as his gloved hands emptied the contents of the pot into the nearby bin. "In two years time, you will be on the road. Learning these basic recipes is important . You'll inevitably have much packaged and canned goods for traveling, but time may come when you need to cook your own food, and especially for your team."

"This is hard." She tried not to moan, knowing his response.

"That's why you're being prepared." he refuted with little inflection. "Failure is a learning tool, but only if you overcome it. We only have a couple hours of daylight remaining." The pot was once again placed in front of her. "I expect one proper dish by that time."

"Yes, father."

/

"Ivysaur is unable to battle, Hypno wins!" Janine's stomach fell as Kevin gestured to Sabrina. "The victory goes to the Gym Leader, Sabrina!" Even as the crowd clapped, she could not help the emptiness as she recalled her starter.

In the end, she and her team could only defeat two of Sabrina's Pokemon, even if they had gotten her to use all four. Given her poison specialty, she had expected the uphill battle and prepared for defeat, but the reality making itself known to her wasn't quite the same.

"You did well, Ivysaur. I'll be sure to learn from this for your sake." As she reclipped her friend's Poke Ball to her belt, she saw Sabrina approaching her-as expected- and chose to meet the Gym Leader halfway. In the famous psychic's presence, she attempted to keep her head up, and her posture firm, but she knew the approaching woman could read every detail- every imperfection, and every falter in both body language and mind.

The young girl was an open book of defeat.

Sabrina's voice was firm as the two stopped in front of one another, yet her eyes were uncharacteristically gentle. "The way you battled today was… eye opening, young Janine." As she spoke, Janine's body stiffened, heightening the effort to show total propriety in the face of her superior. "I knew ahead of time that you would be coming at me with nothing but poison types; clearly your undoing, as you'd already know." Even despite the unusual gentleness of her gaze, the purple haired girl could still feel Sabrina's eyes looking directly through her, reading through every page of her heart. "Your convictions towards your specialty are admirable, but you clearly have no idea how to approach a scenario where you are at an undisputed disadvantage; your talent distracts from your inexperience until you are faced with a situation where it can no longer be ignored."

For a moment, Janine's submissive nod was all she could muster before responding. "You're right. I… don't have much precedent facing psychics, let alone an entire team."

Sabrina nodded back. Clearly, she already knew. "Then why come here now, at your current level?"

Janine's hands tightened for a moment, clenched together as she found her words. As the response came to her, her body somewhat eased, and she successfully looked the woman in her seemingly omniscient, all-reading eyes. "To fix that."

The smallest of grins formed on Sabrina's face-she was quite the beautiful woman, to go along with her captivating regality. "I see… you show some proactivity in seeking out the experience for yourself. But it will go to waste if you do not study this battle in your memories for time to come. Defeat is a good lesson, but only if you pay attention." her hand extended. "You have much talent and intellect, with seemingly endless potential. I would be honored if you returned to my Gym for a rematch once you have tapped into more of it."

Feeling part of her mood shifting, Janine accepted the handshake while returning the gaze. "I will be back."

/

Leaving Saffron City was a formulaic affair; and Ash and Janine both ensured that all shopping had been taken care of by the time their teams had been fully treated from the battles at Sabrina's Gym. Ash had mild concern for his friend's mood following her loss, but she must have figured as such, as she offered him reassurance before he could figure out how to voice it.

They were beyond the city gates, now; with TMs and other supplies purchased, and sights set on Lavender Town. With Fuchsia as the next upcoming end goal, it would be some time before either trainer would step foot into another Gym; definitely the longest stretch thus far, but that time was beyond needed, as was proper use of it. The Fuchsia wilds would ultimately be a blessing and a curse; acting as both the most difficult road they'd have to go down thus far, yet also the perfect training grounds to prepare for the upcoming challenges. From here on out, their current level would not cut it, and much like the preparation for Brock in Pewter, only rigor and grit would change such a thing. The thought of a rookie setting foot in such a place at this point in the Season was not a pleasant one; there was a reason it was considered a training hotspot among those at a high level, the polar opposite of Cerulean. Traversing through there was going to be like walking among giants.

But even that was a bit of a ways off; Fuchsia territory wasn't close by, and the path leading to it would first go through Lavender; The Noble Town, but also nicknamed "Gathering of the Grave".

Lavender Town was the town of ghosts, and such a reputation elicited fear from a certain portion of the populace. Pokemon Tower was the centerpiece of both the town, and it's community; being Kanto's definitive resting spot for Pokemon that have passed on. It was essentially a several-story tall graveyard, and a burial ground both used and visited by many. Ghost Pokemon were drawn to the dead like a magnet, and so the tower, and thus the town surrounding it, had become Kanto's quintessential location where ghosts walked, their presence constantly lurking throughout every corner of the town, even if they didn't always show themselves.

Little was easier to fear than ghosts, and thus, few towns and cities were easier to be unnerved by than Lavender. It was almost a stereotype, as though the place were one giant haunted house. Inevitably, the town was also always associated with nighttime, and to Ash's knowledge, things always felt somewhat… dimmer in Lavender compared to everywhere else.

According to Professor Oak's (constant) reassurance, Lavender was not a place to be scared of, or avoided like the plague for anyone who wasn't seeking to catch a ghost. It was, however, a place of unreplicated atmosphere; you'd never forget that ghosts called the town their home.

As he and Janine walked side by side down the road, Nebula above their heads, Eevee and Ivysaur at their feet, and Pikachu on his shoulder, thoughts of their destination lingered in Ash's mind like a constant presence stalking him at the back. He had heard so much about the town, from so many different perspectives, but what was it like to be there? He couldn't help but worry he'd spend their entire stay with his nerves rattling. They had some time of traveling before their arrival, but it wouldn't be long.

/

Camp was set up ahead of the time; the plan was to get training done for the day ahead of dinner. The whole time up to lunch (and about an hour after) had been spent walking, with no trainers to challenge.

With Janine and her group not too far away, Ash's team lined up in front of him. As he looked between his six friends, the mood was fairly bright, a victory at a Gym fresh in everyone's mind. The one outlier within the group was a certain Krabby, and though Ash had grown used to Tempest being the odd one out (despite his simultaneous attempts to mend such a status), he couldn't help but feel as though the water type was coming across as… awkward.

It had been that way during breakfast and lunch, Ash had noted to himself. Tempest offered little reaction to the distrustful looks sent his way by his five teammates, the passing unease from them barely even seemed to register with the normally shameless Krabby, who had picked away at his food in total silence; no standoffishness, no showboating, no sneers sent in response to whatever dirty looks he would occasionally receive. Ash wanted to figure out what was on his mind, but chose to hold off to see if it impacted training in any way, or if it persisted. Tempest was Tempest, and needed to be handled with care, especially since Ash was completely unaware of the source behind his current outward behavior. If it was frustration, risking aggravation would not do, but doing nothing would only allow issues to fester.

Getting his team's attention, the young trainer spoke up. "As you all know, thanks to your efforts, our team now has four badges. That means we've reached a halfway point; well before the Season is half over." Five of the six Pokemon offered something resembling that of a cheer, and Ash couldn't help the grin that split his face in half. Just saying these words aloud was mind boggling, but he remembered to rein himself in from joining in on the celebration. "I've already made it clear how proud I am of all of you. But our halfway point is only superficial; the second half will take much more work, but we already have the foundation that we need." Straightening himself, he prepared to convey his next announcement seriously. "We'll be passing through Lavender on our way to the next destination: Fuchsia. The road to that city is harsh; rough terrain, surrounding mountains and caves, occasionally unpredictable weather, and swamps, for one thing. But the wildlife is also a factor. We'll need to potentially be prepared for more… territorial Pokemon out there, which means we'll need to travel with caution. We don't want to stumble upon the wrong creature's nest." His pause indicated that he was letting everything sink in, and his team nodded to him accordingly. "The remaining Gym Leaders in Kanto are Giovanni of Viridian, LT. Surge of Vermilion, who we've already met…" he paused for a moment as memories of that battle replayed in his mind, and undoubtedly his teammates' as well. Sure enough, he could pick out the unpleasant shift in expressions. "Blaine of Cinnabar Island, and Koga, from our next stop, Fuchsia. All of them have a reputation among challengers, and most of it would just be me repeating myself, so I'll cut to the chase." he caught his breath for a moment. He feared his voice was becoming stilted. 'I gotta start practicing my speeches ahead of time.' "It's going to be a good while before we reach Fuchsia City, and we really need that time. We're not at that level yet, but I think we've proven against Sabrina that we are ready to reach it. We need to be careful once we reach Fuchsia's wilds, but it also needs to be something we take advantage of. The better we rise to the occasion, the more we are going to gain from it, and that's the only way we'll collect the remaining badges, and make it to the Conference in time."

Fuchsia may have been a playground for trainers and Pokemon beyond their level, but if they could embrace those stomping grounds, they could rise to that level themselves. Ash wondered if he would have been willing to throw himself into such a situation a couple of months ago…

The team seemed to be taking his words seriously; they knew by now that everything from this point forth would be very different from everything precedent. Even Tempest was stiffening a bit despite seemingly being off in his own world (Ash wouldn't have been surprised if the Krabby's inner thoughts were a bit more excited than everyone else, nonetheless). A collective nod from the group told Ash that they were still willing, however.

He returned the gesture. "Good… I'm glad. We won't be entering Fuchsia territory for a bit; that's when things are going to get rough. We'll use the time we have to prepare ourselves." 'And then throw ourselves into the fire, I guess.'

"Okay, first up, I'll go over our plans. Starting with the TMs we have…"

/

Valiant should have known. Of course Ash was going to have Tempest of all Pokemon be his sparring partner for testing out Psyshock. The Icy Wind training was still continuing, after all. Across from him, the water type was silent, bracing himself as he prepared his new attack.

In addition to the ongoing Icy Wind practice, Ash had immediately distributed the Psyshock TM received from Sabrina to him. It was an exciting addition to his arsenal; packing much more "blunt force" than traditional psychic type moves (further making Tempest the ideal sparring partner for practicing it with, Valiant begrudgingly admitted). The other TM, purchased from the store, was Calm Mind. According to the Pokedex, it was a move that relaxed the senses and focused the mind, an ideal move for psychics like him. Good usage of the move sharpened the user's mindset and ensured they never lost focus in a fight, even when greatly hindered. There were various potential applications for the move, albeit the traditional usage revolved around strengthening certain types of attacks, weaponizing the boost in focus.

An irritated rumble escaped the impatient Krabby, so Valiant got to work. Holding his arms out, he closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the energy building up within him. What made the majority of psychic moves difficult to learn was the mental aspect; they were powered by your mind after all; and it was a matter hard for other typings to replicate apart from certain outliers, much like a ghost Pokemon's usage of distortion energy.

Valiant, however, being a psychic who had utilized his typing in various ways throughout their travels, had full confidence in getting this new move down, especially with help from the TM. All he would need is practice.

After a few moments of the young Kirlia's face straining and eyes shining blue, Tempest crossed tw Metal Claws in front of his face to intercept the blast of psychic energy. As the Psyshock detonated against him, he felt the force of the attack, sliding backwards in the grass a bit despite remaining fully upright. As Valiant released a breath, he immediately assessed his first attempted usage of the move.

The blast wasn't condensed enough; Psyshock was a blast of psychic energy that specialized in blunt force, but if the energy wasn't focused enough, it wasn't going to do the same damage. He was almost certain that this had been good for a first attempt, but the room for improvement was definitely clear to him.

Tapping his foot against the grass, Valiant tuned out his sparring partner's presence as the gears began to move in his mind.

Calm Mind… focused his senses and sharpened his mindset. Could getting a hang of that move and using it accordingly help with learning other, more advanced moves? Perhaps usage of the move during practice could help him get a better hold on moves such as Psyshock and Moonblast. Perhaps he should practice that first?

/

Tempest grumbled at the Kirlia across from him. Valiant was off in his own little world, spacing out in the middle of training. Rather than try to regain his partner's attention, the river crab instead opted to give himself a little bit of space before assuming a private stance.

Earlier, Ash had talked about learning Hydro Pump, one of the strongest moves any water type Pokemon could learn. This was merely a long term goal, however, and Ash made it clear that Tempest wasn't yet at the level to properly produce it, and would most likely need to evolve first. Nonetheless, his trainer had wanted the move in his head, and although they didn't have a TM for it, working towards that move was going to be part of the training regimen. That meant continued practice of the ranged water moves that he already knew; ostensibly, Tempest was in little need of honing any of them, given that he already used all of them to good effect. Nonetheless, he didn't need a psychic's intellect to know that the additional practice would come in handy when the time came to jump up to the next level; and Hydro Pump would be a massive leap.

There were two different moves that he was ready for, however: Ice Beam (with a TM for assistance) and Crabhammer. Valiant may have been stuck practicing Icy Wind, but Ice Beam would give Tempest a more powerful alternative that he would enjoy making use of. And Crabhammer would just be another way to punch something, which was fine by him. Speaking of punching, Ash was reminded of Hammer Arm while going through the list of his moves, but was convinced that such a powerful move, like Hydro Pump, would require an evolution and additional experience first. When Tempest had tried to inquire how close he was to evolving, Ash had unfortunately admitted to not knowing, with the assurance that he would consult someone who might have a better idea. With Lavender Town on their agenda, perhaps his trainer would try and seek someone out there.

Ash wasn't planning to stop with Ice Beam, however, informing the Krabby that once he had the move steadily handled, they would work on combining it with Bubble Beam for a move that Ash planned to dub "Frozen Bullets". Tempest liked the sound of that.

And of course, Ash and Janine were always going to be putting time aside for him to practice Surf together with Tentacruel and Skrelp.

As Tempest threw a punch, the thought of the other two water types brought back unwanted memories of the Gym battle in Saffron.

That robot brute's electrical fist nearly making him into a pancake against the crystal pillar. The pillar of water just barely carrying him to safety before giving out…

Tempest grumbled at the thought of the near defeat, one that he had only escaped from with an instinctive, single second-long use of Surf. A move that he had been practicing with those two, and Tentacruel's advice. Not to mention that freakish Slowbro they had run into back in the city…

Blind damn luck. The only thing that had kept him from being the only one on the team to not score a knockout in their latest fight.

"Everyone here is improving. And they're doing it together. If you spend this whole Season trying to better yourself without any of the others backing you up, you're going to fall behind. That's not what you want, is it?"

"You may not believe me now, but I'm sure you'll start noticing it at some point. I'd keep it in mind, if I were you."

Ash's… warning echoed in his mind. It was back before they had reached Celadon… right before that battle with the Paul guy.

Throwing another punch, Tempest found his gaze returning to Valiant, who was still thinking to himself. Huffing a bit, Tempest turned back around, his gaze lingering elsewhere. Pikachu looked like he was coaching Tyrunt as the dinosaur bit away at a nearby rock. Sparks were coming off of his teeth, though the Krabby could barely tell from this distance. Eevee was using Shadow Ball in front of Nebula while Ash read something allowed from the Pokedex.

Tempest's eyes lingered a little bit longer.

/

Tyrunt's jaws clenched down on another rock. After some struggle, he could feel the stone object beginning to strain, shake, on the verge of crumbling. Pikachu's encouragement, however, reminded him to maintain the sparks of electricity lining his jaws, the true point of the exercise.

Thunder Fang was one of the new moves that Ash wanted him to start working on, and with no TM to help him out, but some solid experience with biting moves already, the next piece of the puzzle was Pikachu's guidance. The energetic rodent was already giving him some continued coaching with Play Rough and Brick Break, and Ash had wanted to capitalize on their time together. In addition to Thunder Fang, Ash also wanted him to learn Ice Fang at a later date. Tyrunt recalled that Tempest was planned to coach him on this once the river crab had Ice Beam figured out well enough, albeit only under supervision; hopefully from either Valiant or Ash himself.

Even as he bit down on this rock, however, the excitement of the TM that Ash had given him never left Tyrunt's mind: Dragon Pulse. The video he was shown of that creature (Karen's Hydreigon, he remembered Ash saying) destroying a Golem with the attack had captivated the team's youngest member. The thought of unleashing such a tremendous blast from his throat made Tyrunt's mouth water, despite Ash's insistence that getting that move to such a level would take a lot of practice.

His thoughts must have been distracting him, because Pikachu was offering another quick reminder as the sparks in his jaws began to die down. With renewed effort, Tyrunt tried to concentrate, and could feel the amount of electricity increasing again, just before the rock crumbled in his teeth.

"Wow, looking good there, pal!" As the smiling dinosaur chewed the rocks in his mouth, he and Pikachu turned to see their trainer approaching, the electric type raising a paw with a happy greeting as Ash giggled a bit at the sight. "I'd hate to be in your mouth right about now, Tyrunt." With cheeks somewhat bulged from his mouth being full, Tyrunt offered a carefree, joyful grin, some of the rocks visible in his mouth as he continued to chew them into gravel. Ash took in the sight for a moment, as though he was taking a photograph in his head, before kneeling down and patting his starter. Pikachu let out a satisfied squeal at the contact. "You've done a great job coaching him, buddy. Once Dragon Pulse is battle ready, I'd say he may even be caught up on some levels." Standing back upright, he pointed in the direction he had come from; where Eevee and Nebula currently were. "Could you go join the girls? I need to talk with Tyrunt about something before Janine and I get today's Surf practice started."

With no protest, Pikachu jogged off after waving Tyrunt a quick goodbye. Tyrunt returned the wave, and his chewing began to slow as Ash approached him next. Turning around to spit out the remaining gravel (Eevee had told him never to spit in front of somebody else), he turned back to face his trainer in full, some debris from the broken rocks still lingering on his lips as he offered Ash his signature, happy-go-lucky grin. His trainer crouched down to look him in the eye (It's too bad Ash didn't have a cap anymore, it looked cool), offering a quick rub on the head that the young dinosaur was more than pleased to accept, before speaking.

"You've come a long way, Tyrunt. I'm really happy that you were the one who hatched from Elacia's Egg."

Elacia… Ash had mentioned her before. Apparently, she was he was his previous owner back from before he was born. A… breeder? Ash had said. Tyrunt hoped he could meet her one day; his trainer always seemed so fond when mentioning her.

At Ash's words, Tyrunt thought back to all of the training. All of the fun he'd had with everyone (except that Tempest bully) since coming into the team. He had admired everyone and how they fought while he watched from the sidelines, especially how cool Valiant always looked. And when his training had started… he was so excited! And now, he had all sorts of cool moves that he was trying to use.

Battling was so much fun. Training was so much fun. Tyrunt didn't want to do anything else: He'd be as strong as everyone some day! As strong as those dragons Ash had shown him videos of, the ones with the big pink-haired man!

Ash smiled at the prehistoric Pokemon's frantically nodding head, before quickly moving his hand and pressing down to calm him. "Yeah, I know you're excited, and I definitely am too. But there was something that I wanted to ask you about… it sort of popped into my head during dinner last night, if you're okay with it." Still smiling, Tyrunt tilted his head to signal curiosity.

"Would you… like a nickname, Tyrunt?"

Tyrunt blinked. Nickname… that;s right, most of his teammates had one, and weren't addressed by just their species alone. He had never considered why that was, though. Ash had never brought it up before.

"When you first hatched," Ash elaborated. "I didn't really have that on my mind. You were just born, so I felt it was too early. You're not a baby anymore though, you've grown a bit. And you've been working hard for weeks on end now. I was just wondering if you wanted us to call you anything else?"

Tyrunt didn't realize that his foot was tapping against the grass as he tried to think over what his trainer was saying. Now that he mentioned it… a nickname did seem nice. But he hoped it was something cool; one that showed everyone how strong he was. He was going to be super, duper big and powerful one day. Ash had shown him the picture of what he'd look like when he finally evolved. He wanted a name for that!

Ash smiled as his young friend went into another series of frantic nods, which were again calmed by a hand pressing down on his head.

"Okay, cool." Ash returned his nod. "I have something in mind already, but it's up to you if you want something different, okay?"

Tyrunt nodded, anticipation in his eyes. So Ash had already thought that far ahead… what had he come up with?

"How does… Phenom, sound?"

Tyrunt blinked. Did he say… Phenom? The small dinosaur began curiously scratching the side of his head with his claw. Phenom… what was that word? He had never heard it before. It sounded cool, but… how had Ash thought of it.

Thankfully, his trainer quickly elaborated. "Phenom means 'phenomenal', for short. 'Of phenomenal ability or promise'. You know what phenomenal means, right?"

Phenomenal… that word was a super intense one, from what Tyrunt knew. It was like… incredible, ultra powerful… he perked up. What he wanted to be!

His trainer must have sensed the realization, since was grinning now. "That's right," you patted Tyrunt's head. "You want to be like that, right? So let's make it so. Your name can be your goal. Once everyone sees you, and hears your name, they'll know exactly how great you are; how strong you are gonna become. Does that sound good?"

Now fully understanding, Tyrunt chattered excitedly with an affirmative nod.

And thus, Phenom prepared for the training to come.

/

Eevee formed another Shadow Ball in her jaws while Nebula watched closely. At Ash's request, she was demonstrating a ghost type move to the bird to help her learn Ominous Wind. The Staravia was no stranger to wind attacks, having gotten skilled with Whirlwind before Eevee had even joined the team, and recently getting further experience with Air Cutter and Air Slash, but she had no experience with distortion, and no TM for assistance. Much like when Valiant was learning Shadow Ball, Eevee's experience with the move acted as something of a bridge. In exchange, Nebula was helping her learn Double Team.

After Eevee fired the distorted sphere, exploding against a rock, she turned to Nebula with a bark. Nodding, the Staravia took off, hovering above the normal type's head as she tried to focus.

When Valiant had learned Shadow Ball from Eevee, his own typing worked against him; his sensitivity to distortion being an obstacle on its own. Being a normal type, she didn't have that problem, and if anything it was the opposite. But unlike Valiant, she didn't have the luxury of Shadow Sneak being one of her signature moves. The frequent usage of such a technique had been just as much a cushion for her psychic comrade as his typing and vulnerability had been a burden. With no such advantage to speak of, she needed to rely entirely on Eevee's instructions.

Flapping her wings, she produced the gusts of air with ease, but no hint of ghostly energy was in sight. She didn't even know where to begin. How do you summon such a thing? She had listened to Eevee, and yet…

Her teammate made Shadow Ball look so easy. It was obviously possible, and yet… she couldn't grasp what was being spoken or demonstrated.

Looking down, she was about to try and speak to the normal type once more, only to see the evolution Pokemon's attention occupied by Pikachu's arrival. Blinking, she descended to the pair as Eevee barked a friendly greeting to the mouse.

In addition to coaching Tyrunt, Pikachu was also working on honing his electricity further; Ash was hoping to have him learn Discharge, but due to the wild, spread out nature of such a move, he wanted to make sure his starter was ready for it. Cracking down on the electrical control could also bring them a bit closer to bringing Volt Tackle into the picture. Right now, Pikachu couldn't even practice the egg move without injuring himself.

Landing next to the pair, Nebula, her mood significantly better now, offered her best friend a wing, which Pikachu's paw shook. Hoping to take a break from Ominous Wind, she turned to Eevee and asked if she wanted to get started on Double Team; it'd be a good opportunity now that Pikachu was here. Turning her head to the mouse to see if he was willing, she gave him a grateful chirp as he nodded back.

Eevee accepted.

/

"I was surprised when Tempest used Surf during the battle." Janine commented, observing the Krabby as he balanced himself on his pillar of water, not too far from Tentacruel and Skrelp.

Ash kept his eyes on the Krabby. "I couldn't believe what I saw, honestly. I'm not sure if he could repeat that yet, even if only for a second, but it still shows progress." Both Tentacruel and Skrelp had offered his water type companion congratulations upon hearing about the ordeal, to which Tempest's response was unreadable. "It seems to be encouraging them, as well."

She nodded in affirmation. "We'll be capitalizing on that morale. Hopefully the move will be functional by the time we reach Fuchsia City." she turned her head to him. "A lot could change by then, you know. It's such a long way from now, and we plan to make a lot of great strides."

Ash knew what she was getting at. "It's in the back of my mind. Evolution, you mean?" She nodded at him. "I need to start looking into it… I think fighting two of Eevee's evolved forms has really got me wondering." he stole a glance at her before returning his attention to Tempest. "Half my team can evolve with stones… Valiant's probably not ready yet, but I think Pikachu and Eevee are. I might try and see if Lavender has anything on sale, although…" he trailed off for a moment.

"Not looking forward to the price?"

"Yeah, I have a few ideas that I'm not excited about, but I think it could work out in our favor in the long run. I'll just have to see what my options are first." He wondered if Janine understood what he was mulling over; stealing a second glance at her, it seemed like she might.

A somewhat comfortable pause held between them before he continued. "I'll have a few things to do in Lavender, actually." at her curious look, he elaborated. "Nebula's having trouble with Ominous Wind. Eevee's doing her best, and they just started, but with Lavender coming up…"

She looked surprised. "You're going to… see if you can find a ghost to help them out?"

His cheeks flushed. "I know it's not the most likely, I'm not sure where to start, honestly, but… I figured I'd maybe try."

Janine's foot tapped the grass. "Not a bad idea. From what I know, some of the ghosts lurking around in Lavender are a community in their own right. It's not like the town is filled with hostile specters who want nothing but trouble. Nobody would live there."

Ash couldn't help his chuckle. With all the stories and myths inevitably surrounding a place like Lavender, her logical words were fairly reassuring.

/

Dinner was set up somewhat later than normal, and by meal time, everyone on the team could think about little other than eating. Ash and Janine had gravitated to a nearby rock big enough for both trainers to comfortably sit at, while their teams ate in blended groups; Phenom had gone back to eating with Valiant and Eevee, the Tyrunt happily chatting to them about his new name. Beedrill also joined them, having conversed with Valiant prior during one of the training breaks. Not too far from them, Pikachu and Nebula ate with Ivysaur, Golbat and Toxtricity.

A bit closer to Ash and Janine's rock, Tentacruel and Skrelp ate their food together with light conversation. The sound of familiar approaching footsteps caught their attention, and the duo perked up as Tempest placed his bowl next to them. As though trying to read the room, the Krabby looked between the two water/poison types with an unsure expression as Ash and Janine looked on without a word.

Reading Tempest's face for a moment, Tentacruel looked over to Skrelp. Her smaller teammate's tightened a bit at the crab's abrupt arrival, staring at Tempest for a moment or two before looking back at the jellyfish. After another couple of moments, the mock kelp nodded, and Tentacruel gestured for Tempest to come a bit closer. As he inched his bowl forward a bit, Ash released an optimistic breath at the exchange.

Another party had been paying attention, however; from his sitting position, Phenom watched his water type teammate join both of Janine's, Valiant and Eevee preoccupied talking with Beedrill about something she and Golbat had been working on together.

A memory passed through the young Tyrunt's mind, and thankfully, his two friends were too distracted to notice the quiet growl that slipped through his throat. He remembered Tempest confronting him in the middle of the night and goading a fight. Even just looking at the Krabby made it hard to forget, the small dinosaur reaching up to rub the jaw that had been hurt in the one-sided brawl. He had been no match back then, and since then, it was clear as day that Tempest was nothing but a bully. He didn't care about having fun, or making friends. He just wanted to hurt them for no reason. Avoiding the Krabby had thankfully been easy with Valiant's help, but now…

Phenom turned his gaze away for a moment to focus on his food, eating a bit more slowly than usual as his mind became flooded with conflicting thoughts. He couldn't think about the bulky water type without remembering that night, and what had happened. And he had little desire to have much of any interaction with him, even supervised. Ash wanted him to learn Ice Fang, and Tempest was the most logical teacher, but… could he?

Swallowing his food, Phenom's eyes lingered back to the trio of water types. Though Tempest had planned to remain mostly silent, a few verbal prods from Tentacruel had lured him into light conversation, which Skrelp had eventually joined in on. The Krabby didn't notice the dinosaur staring at him.

…He was a Phenom now. Ash believed he could be something great. That he would be something great. And he couldn't be that if he avoided the selfish Krabby, or backed away from routine move training just because he didn't want to be near him.

Tempest… would not get to him. He would not be afraid of the river crab. Not if he was going to live up to the new name that their trainer had kindly given him.

Returning to his food once more, Phenom felt a little bit more content.

/

Ash stirred as his eyes opened. Rising into a sitting position, he blinked as the inside of his tent came into view. It only took him a moment or two to realize that his starter was missing.

"...Pikachu…?" Maybe his friend had gotten up before him, but for some reason, the boy still felt nervous. There was no light coming into the tent. What was…

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Opening the tent, he started, and felt his blood run cold. He was not outside, and neither Janine nor anyone from his team was present.

He was inside of a cavern.

Scrambling into a frantic standing position, he tried looking around, but there was nothing but an endless hallway of rocks for as far as he could see it.

"J-Janine…?" his back touched the outside of his tent as his legs slowly seemed to move on their own. "How… how did I get here?"

"You never left." His eyes doubled in size as he whirled around to see the Iron-Masked Marauder, casually tossing a Poke Ball up and down with a carefree grin. "Neither did we."

Face pale, Ash stumbled backward, knocking his tent over as his bottom collided with the cold, hard, rocky floor. Without thinking, his hands were held up, not steady in the slightest. "W-wait a minute! Don't-"

Tyranitar burst out of the Poke Ball, towering over both individuals as he roared to the heavens.

The rocks began to fall-

Ash felt a sickening chill spread throughout his body as he shot up into a sitting position, eyes as open and awake as they could ever be. He could feel the sweat running down his face as he remembered to breathe, but it took a little longer to remember to control his breathing. After a few moments, he looked around and took in his surroundings.

His tent. Pikachu was laying down next to him, still blissfully asleep.

'A dream…' Ash told himself reassuringly. Another dream…'

Crawling towards the tent's entrance, his hand stopped just short of the flap. He could feel his breath catch in his throat for a moment or two before opening it.

Stepping outside, a wave of relief washed over him, seeing that he was outside. The air was chilly but fresh, the grass was soft and mildly moist. Above him was a peaceful, pre-dawn sky, and not a ceiling of rocks.

Most of his team lay close to the tent; all still asleep. Tyrunt lay next to Eevee, head brushed against her soft fur, but not in a way that appeared uncomfortable for her, with Valiant resting peacefully on the other side of her. On the opposite side of the tent, Nebula was also sound asleep, as was Tempest a bit further from everybody else.

Rising carefully, Ash did his best to remain completely silent, not wanting to stir anybody. He wanted to return to the tent to check the time, but doing so would risk creating noise, so instead he turned his attention back to the sky. It was still fairly dark, although he could have sworn he saw the slightest hint of blue if he squinted enough. The timing could be worse, he supposed to himself.

Walking around the camp with no real aim, his eyes wandered over to Janine's tent, where most of her team was still sleeping, but he didn't see-

A familiar (albeit quiet) noise caught his attention, and looking to the side, he saw Ivysaur approaching him. Janine's starter looked as though he had just gotten up, much like Ash himself.

"Hey," Ash greeted the grass/poison type. "Sorry, I'm just wandering a bit."

"Up early too?" head turning, he saw Janine exiting her tent, spikey ponytail tied. Rising to her feet, she lowered her voice after scanning her sleeping teammates for a moment. "Did you… have another bad dream?" her expression was slightly crinkled in concern.

"Yeah," Ash's voice matched hers. After a moment of hesitance, he asked, "You?"

He was somewhat relieved as she shook her head. "No, I just woke up a bit earlier than normal."

"What time is it?"

"Five forty eight."

Ivysaur followed the pair as they subconsciously gravitated toward the same large rock they had eaten dinner at. Janine's starter rested against the stone as she reached down to pat his head for a moment, before taking a seat next to Ash.

Nobody talked for a few moments; Ash's mind was still jumbled, in a struggle to keep the image of Tyranitar out of his head. He tried to focus on the pre-dawn chill instead. It didn't feel too bad, but could only distract him so much. He opened his mouth to say something, hopefully an aimless talk could help break away from the unwanted thoughts, but fell short on figuring out what he wanted to say.

Moments later, Janine's voice caught his attention, and his head turned to meet the view of her face. How long had she been looking at him?

"I'm… sorry, Ash."

The boy blinked. "Hm?"

Her hand reached to brush a piece of purple hair with her fingers, head turning away from him and towards the damp grass. "Nightmares are… you wouldn't be getting them if it weren't for Team Rocket. At least… not these ones." hands finding their way to her knees, she paused for a moment. "A few nights after Opening Day… I had a dream about the Pokemon Center attack. You weren't there, and neither were my Pokemon. I was just being chased by that Ekans and Koffing while their trainers spouted nonsense."

Ash hung on her words for a moment or two. Janine had been a lot braver than him that night, taking on both grunts while he, Pichu and Nurse Joy tried to flee to safety. Trying to think back… she had been willing to do so because she thought her team was best equipped to fight them… being immune to poison, right? If the lowliest of thugs were terrifying if you didn't have a Pokemon to defend yourself with.

"And then the museum incident happened…" she continued. "And that guy with the silver mask said all of those things…" her eyes grew distant for a moment. With effort, she pushed it away as she looked back at him. "Are you doing alright?'

His hands gripped his pants for a moment as she asked the question. After a moment, he sighed, now finding the grass somewhat interesting himself. "I don't have them every night," he said. "But…" he had lied to her before about not being there during the Mt. Moon assault. How could he explain… "But they come out of nowhere. Just… It was a while ago, right? But whenever I dream… it's like I'm right back in there." Back in those caverns, with that masked Marauder. The one who Karen had revealed to be a tremendously dangerous criminal. The cave in…

He tried to suppress his wince- since he wasn't looking at Janine, and didn't see her reaction, he didn't know if he was successful or not. "I just… wish I had been in a different place, you know? Or maybe gone there at a different time… just completely missed everything." finally looking back at her, his friend's frown was unreadable.

"I have those thoughts too," she admitted after a couple moments of silence. Shifting a bit, her eyes found their way to Ivysaur. He was listening, but his gaze was directed elsewhere, watching his teammates sleeping by the tent. "I just wanted to go to the museum. And they…" she shifted again, something in her eyes shifting once more as well. "Indigo's history is important. What the League has done for Indigo is important. Team Rocket has been violating all of that since before we were born, and they don't even care." Just gradually enough for it to feel without warning, something in her voice changed as she looked out ahead, expression darkening. "They're scum."

Seeing and hearing her now pulled Ash's memories back to the museum, and how she had spoken to Damian, and before him, the leader with the Silver mask and massive Feraligatr. He chewed his lip for a second, not sure how to respond.

And then the look was gone, replaced with unsure uncertainty as his friend reached back and fiddled with her purple ponytail. "I'm sorry… this isn't helping. Forget I said anything." he wasn't sure what to think as she pushed herself off of the rock, her unreadable expression no longer visible as Ivysaur rose to his feet in response, the poison specialist turning to the camp. "I'm… going to make breakfast now." with Ivysaur at her feet, she began to walk off, but suddenly paused after the first few steps. Lingering for a moment, her index finger brushed her chin, and suddenly she was looking back at Ash. "Do you… know how to cook?"

He blinked at the question, having not expected her to stop or say anything else. "I… not on the road, no." his mother was always the cook, and that was all they needed. She was amazing. He could cook some things with her help, but that was all indoors, with conventional kitchen gear. Not at a campsite.

Turning around to face him in full, she crossed her arms as Ivysaur looked up at her curiously. "Would you… like to learn?" As he thought it over in surprise, she continued. "It's a helpful skill to know, and could take your mind off of..."

Learning to cook at camp… she was right, it was obviously a really useful tool to have. It meant he and his team could have a little bit more variety compared to basic packaged goods if they ever had the ingredients to spare. And… he almost winced again. The falling rocks and Tyranitar from the cavern were still in his head, like the image was gloating at him.

He needed to focus on something else.

"Yeah," a small, grateful smile lined his face as he nodded back at her, and she returned the expression.

Not too long after, the two of them were seated at opposite ends of the pot. Ivysaur was nearby, but gave them some room. Looking up for a moment, the sky was getting a little bit more blue, but was still clearly dark. Ash recalled Janine saying something like this a while back, while they were on their way to Saffron. How she enjoyed looking at the sky when it was blue, but still dim, before the daylight brightened everything up. Head angled upwards for a moment, Ash couldn't help but see her point as he took in the sight.

"My father spent a lot of time teaching me this when I was younger," his attention snapped back to the poison specialist as she held a match in hand. "We'll need to boil the water first with a little bit of fire. I'll start, and then you can try."

Ash wasn't keeping track of time, but the next passing period was peaceful yet stimulating as he worked the pot, listening closely to Janine's every word as she instructed him on what ingredients to put in, how much, and the timing of doing it all. During the stirring process, her hands gripped the wooden spoon alongside him, guiding him to the proper patterns and motions.

"Here," she showed him her grip as his hands mimicked her own. "Hold it like this, and move the spoon at around this speed… that's a bit narrow, try stirring a little wider."

Breakfast came a little bit later than normal, but neither of them minded at all.

/

Eevee took a deep breath as her muscles relaxed. Momentarily closing her eyes, she replayed Nebula's instructions in her mind before focusing on ahead. The Staravia stood a few feet from her as the evolution Pokemon's fur bristled, raising a wing in encouragement as her teammate focused her efforts.

A few moments later, a flickering clone appeared by Eevee's side, progressively becoming more stable for a few seconds before forming in full. Nebula grinned, but gestured her wing to the side. Now run with the clone.

Eevee had practiced this a bit with Pikachu's help the previous day; although she was ostensibly able to do it, her clone wasn't nearly as fast as she was. Concentrating on Double Team while simultaneously maintaining her speed was a type of physical and mental multitasking that the normal type was not remotely used too, and running at her full speed had all but completely left her clone in the dust.

As she took off past the Staravia, it took a few seconds to get the clone to move with her, and when it did, it was clearly slower. Reducing her pace, Eevee concentrated more, and her clone quickened a bit, albeit still not quite as fast as her. Hearing Nebula call out to her, she slowed to a stop, allowing her clone to vanish as the Staravia glided over to her position.

After a few more moments of instruction, Nebula took off, flying low above the ground as a clone of herself materialized beside her. Eevee watched closely as both the Staravia and her clone flew side by side at the same pace. After a few moments of focus, she began to run after them, slightly faster than before. Her clone trailed behind her, but seemed a bit speedier than the previous attempt as well.

She had seen Pikachu and Nebula use the move countless times, and by this point, both of her teammates made the execution of it seem so simple. Trying it out for the first time was a completely different feeling. For a moment, she considered slowing down again, but quickly decided against it. She needed to keep things at least somewhat steep for herself, that way she'll be better prepared to utilize it strenuously. A bead of sweat made itself known on her face as she attempted to deepen her focus without compromising her pace. Nebula was still far up ahead, performing an angled turn that her clone easily mimicked.

Behind Eevee, her clone's pace increased ever so slightly, inching its way closer to the real one little by little, but eventually stopped speeding up. As Eevee approached the point where Nebula made the turn, a flicker of frustration passed over her as she realized her clone likely wouldn't perform the turn nearly as well. Attempting it anyway, she was proven right as her double completely veered off course.

Sliding to a stop, Eevee assumed a sitting position and took a moment to catch her breath, studying Nebula as the Staravia stopped a good bit ahead of her, looking back to check on the situation. With a reassuring bark, Eevee rose back to all fours and took off again. Trying a different approach this time, she started off with a light jog, her clone forming beside her at an identical pace. Now watching from further above, Nebula began catching on to Eevee's strategy as the quadruped increased her speed inch by inch, advancing her pace at a much slower rate. As she gradually sped up, the increases barely noticeable at first, the clone sped up with her, still remaining exactly by her side.

Once the time came to go from jogging to running, the clone slowly but surely started lagging behind, but by the time Eevee was in a full-blown sprint, the gap was no longer quite as big.

/

Valiant backed away from Tempest, creating some space between the two before putting his hands together and concentrating. Crouching a bit, the Krabby braced himself as he locked eyes with the Kirlia. Seeing a change in the young psychic's expression, the crab crossed his pincers in front of him just in time to block the Icy Wind.

It still wasn't very strong. It was getting better, but Tempest didn't feel much of any discomfort as his pincers intercepted the fairly underwhelming attempt. He knew this was at least partially owed to his typing and ability, but the fact that he could block the attack with practically no harm whatsoever wasn't saying much of anything promising for the move's usage in battle.

Valiant knew this just as much as his teammate, however. He felt how underwhelming the icy blast was compared to what it should be, even as it was leaving his hands. As the attack stopped, he let out a sigh and crossed his arms. Tempest looked on in mild annoyance as Valiant's foot tapped the grass, no doubt in the middle of yet another "thinking session".

Valiant knew he was making progress. Tempest, he had to admit, had been a competent teacher. But something was missing, and Valiant knew the Krabby wasn't part of the problem.

A light bulb went off in his mind. Calm Mind… would that help? He had only just started it, but the TM with help from the baseline that the TM had provided him with…

Quickly, Valiant signaled for Tempest to get himself ready for another attempt, but requested that he give him a quick moment to prepare. As the water type complied, the Kirlia collected his breath and closed his eyes. It was time to test his theory from before.

As Valiant stilled, he felt his muscles slowly relax, tension leaving his body. Little by little, his mind… began to clear, as though clutter he did not realize was present began to fade away. He didn't notice it at first, or maybe even at all, but his breathing changed. Became fresh. A feeling of comfort passed over him, spreading throughout his body.

As he opened his eyes to fire the attack, the burst of energy he felt inside of himself was uncharacteristically tranquil. The Icy Wind that left his hands was bigger. Colder. . And as Tempest's pincer's blocked it, he felt it. It didn't hurt too badly, but he felt the cold sensation as the ice type move rammed into him. Mild discomfort as the cold air leaked its way towards his face. The tiny layer frost forming on the surface of his pincers. The impact of the attack colliding with his block.

As the Icy Wind ceased, and Valiant let out a breath, he noticed what had formed across the grass between him and Tempest; the tips of the grass blades frosted over with white. He couldn't help but smile at the wave of satisfaction that passed over him.

Calm Mind… he wasn't experienced with the move, but there was a good foundation already. If he could get better with it, it could speed up the process with moves that he was having trouble with, or needed to work on more. Calm Mind was often used to strengthen moves like those, after all, and the more it helped him pull those types of techniques off, the more he'd get used to using them. His natural instincts would learn from it. Had he found the solution?

Across from him, Tempest stared carefully at his pincers, noting the frost on the surface. It hadn't really hurt all that much, but he could feel the force, and how much colder the icy air had been. It was only one attempt, but if Valiant kept using the move like that, it would definitely be suitable for a fight; at least against opponents with less means to resist it than himself.

Looking up to meet the Kirlia's gaze,Tempest felt a begrudging hesitance in his throat, before grunting in approval. Good job.

Valiant blinked. Had he been given a… compliment? Before he could properly process it, the sound of footsteps caught both their attention.

Phenom was approaching them, and he was flanked by Eevee. The evolution Pokemon's eyes gravitated towards the frost on the grass, ears perking up as her nose caught a whiff of the lingering cold air. She couldn't help but smile a bit. Watching Phenom carefully, Valiant's eyes cautiously moved to Tempest for a moment, before focusing on the Tyrunt. His two friends stopped in front of him, and offered some compliments on his progress, to which he smiled. After some light conversation, Phenom's stiffened a bit, and the small dinosaur's head turned to Tempest, who had been watching without comment.

Valiant felt a lump in his throat as Tempest returned the Tyrunt's gaze. He tried to reach out to the rock/dragon type, but a furry paw stopped him. Looking over to Eevee, he tried to protest, but she shook her head before he had the chance. His eyes narrowed a bit; her face was unsure, but…

With some hesitance, Phenom straightened his posture and began advancing towards the Krabby, who seemed somewhat surprised by his approach. For the first half or so, the dinosaur was moving slowly, almost stopping on occasion, but his pace quickened to normal after closing some distance, stopping just in front of the water type. Tempest was rather large for his species, having grown bigger somewhat throughout their travels, and Phenom found his head angling upwards to meet his eyes, which, in comparison, were angled down. Watching them, Valiant felt his hand tighten into a fist, every instinct telling him to teleport between the two. At his side, Eevee's front paws were restlessly shuffling in place.

Phenom tried not to wince as the memory of Tempest's pincer striking his face came rushing back to him, but his face couldn't help but twitch at the thought. He remembered how painful the blow had been, how outclassed he had been. How Tempest had woken him up for a fight in the middle of the night, with no warning. His breath caught in his throat for a moment as he tried to find his words. The Krabby was staring at him patiently, leering down into his eyes as the fossil Pokemon tried to stay in place, not vindicating his water type teammate by taking a step back.

Finally finding his focus, the Tyrunt spoke to his larger teammate. He wasn't avoiding him anymore; he could leer and sneer all he wanted, he could be whatever kind of bully he wanted to be, but the Tyrunt wasn't afraid. He wasn't the baby of the team anymore. Now, he was Phenom. He would be stronger than Tempest one day, and if he ever tried to mess with him or hurt him again, he would not back down.

Looking down at Phenom, Tempest's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the Tyrunt's declaration. He had tried his best to mask his surprise; where had this suddenly come from? The babyish brat hadn't been this bold before. He expected this confrontational behavior from Eevee, but Tyrunt? Or "Phenom" as Ash had begun calling him? Inwardly, Tempest snorted at the thought. You can't call yourself a phenom. And if it were anyone else, he may have even voiced such.

But there was something in the Tyrunt's eyes that gave the large Krabby pause. Something unusual, uncharacteristic. A mild tinge of doubt was felt in his chest as Phenom stared at him unflinchingly. His posture wasn't happy-go-lucky as usual. There was… confidence. The two held their position for a few moments longer, before Phenom, without losing that posture, turned around and walked off. Tempest watched him go. It only took a moment for the river crab to notice the tiny frown that had formed on his face, but he thankfully corrected it before anyone had a chance to notice; Valiant and Eevee were preoccupied as Phenom joined them.

The Kirlia couldn't help the sigh of relief as his friend stopped in front of him and Eevee. The normal type's muscles relaxed as she brushed against Phenom's side, and the soft contact somewhat broke the young Tyrunt out of his proud mood, leaning into the comfortable touch a bit. Watching them for a moment, Valiant turned his head to Tempest, who was walking off. His eyes lingered on the Krabby for just a few seconds before turning to Phenom, who he hadn't noticed was looking at him at this point. Due to his ability to detect emotions, he felt the change in the Tyrunt: the confidence, the pride, the tenacity. There wasn't any anger, any aggression was simply channeled into those.

Phenom felt nervous for just a moment. He hoped Valiant was okay with what he had just… the Kirlia's approval meant so much, and for the briefest period, he feared a scolding or chastisement. It never came, however, and his face lit up as the psychic patted his head. Turning his gaze back where he came from, the Tyrunt gazed at Tempest's slowly retreating back. The pride in his chest once again flared.

/

Pikachu munched on his oran berry whilst staring at the screen of Ash's Pokedex. An Electabuzz in Indigo Stadium unleashing an outward explosion of lightning from seemingly every corner of his body.

"Discharge can be a pretty crazy move when used to that degree." Ash complimented as his starter nodded in excitement. "It's taxiing, though. For reasons you've probably guessed." As the mouse looked up to lock eyes with his trainer, Ash raised a finger matter-of-factly. "Firing off all of that lightning at once would exhaust you. You saw the blast, right? It was a literal explosion of electricity leaving that Electabuzz's body. If you use up so much of that at once, it could make you dizzy, or worn out, or even having trouble recharging for another electric type move." he put the Pokedex away. "That's why we need to further hone your control first. Focus on sharpening your skills to the best extent possible. I've been thinking of some exercises that could help us with this, and I've come up with a potential technique that could do wonders for practice… and even be a good tactic in battle." seeing that he had Pikachu's curiosity, he continued. "I think we could call it… a Counter Shield."

/

"Poliwhirl, Bubble Beam!"

Phenom stopped nursing the small bruise on his face to leap to the side, avoiding the barrage of bubbles sent his way by his water type opponent. Landing solidly on his feet, the young dinosaur shifted in the dirt to position himself, walking eyes with the opposing Pokemon as his knees bent and he crouched into a fighting stance. Across from him, Poliwhirl performed a similar gesture. Behind the blue Pokemon was a young girl with short, crimson hair that barely failed to reach her shoulders.

It was just under an hour before noon, and the team had already seen two battles prior, a good contrast to how slow the previous two days had been. With Lavender Town not too far away, Ash and Janine both mutually hoped to face as many opponents as possible and replenish more of their money.

Ash considered his options for a moment. The Poliwhirl's Brick Break had failed to land a direct hit to Phenom's face due to his friend's attempt at avoiding it, but the contact that it did make had still somewhat hurt him. It was a safe bet that Poliwhirl likely knew some ice type moves in addition to that, so they needed to be careful how they approached him. A viable option would be to knock the water type off balance with Roar and then close in with Thunder Fang. Strong Jaw would do wonders in making the electric type bite sink in as deep and hard as possible.

Phenom's Thunder Fang was imperfect, however. It would still certainly hurt, but he was inexperienced with it. Poison Fang was another good option, and he was much better with that move. Either way, closing in for a powerful biting move would be the best way to try and end the battle.

For ranged options, they had Rock Blast and Earth Power. He wouldn't have Phenom use Dragon Pulse yet; not in a fight. It wasn't ready; the fact that he couldn't use it to its full strength wasn't too much of a problem, as it would still pack a punch, but charging the move took too long and consumed too much energy in its current state.

Phenom's anticipation was contagious, the young Tyrunt scraping his left foot against the wet dirt as he prepared to go on the offensive. Ash grinned at his friend's back. Phenom always loved to battle, but he was particularly pumped up this morning. They wouldn't let that go to waste. "Earth Power!"

Pounding the ground, Phenom sent a wave of goldish energy through the ground, traveling towards Poliwhirl in a line. His opponent leapt to the side just in time to avoid the detonation. As the girl called out for an Ice Beam.

"Rock Blast!" Ash quickly countered. The Ice Beam was quickly intercepted by the barrage of rocks fired from the Tyrunt's mouth. "Rush him with Tackle!" Just as the icy attack ended, Phenom's feet stamped against the dirt as he sprinted for Poliwhirl. Although he was no Pikachu or Eevee, his speed had improved considerably over time, and he found himself closing the distance at a satisfactory rate. As he approached, however, Poliwhirl raised a glowing, orange fist, lunging forward to sock the dinosaur in the face. Phenom spun around, Dragon Tail colliding with Brick Break, but still growled in pain as the fighting type move collided with his attack. Staggering backward, he rotated on his feet to avoid losing his balance, finding himself face to face with Poliwhirl once more. Now close up, he opened his mouth, preparing to bowl him over with the shockwaves of Roar-

The young Tyrunt screeched as a blast of boiling water covered him. As he struggled not to fall down, staggering back several steps, Poliwhirl's fist struck him square in the chest, sending him rolling across the dirt as the water type's trainer called for another Ice Beam.

Ash was quickly ordering him to use Rock Blast, however. Lifting up head head, his claws buried in the dirt, the dinosaur could see Poliwhirl taking aim at him. Despite the pain in his chest, he managed to fire the Rock Blast in time. As the barrage of rocks intercepted the icy blast a second time, however, Phenom did not feel relief. His eyes flared, and with a sudden movement that had his trainer blinking, he was on his feet in a flash, as though he had never even fallen down. A low rumble escaped his throat, before he suddenly let out a bloodthirsty cry, rushing for the water type with renewed adrenaline.

Once more, Poliwhirl attempted to meet his approach with Brick Break. This time, Phenom swayed to the side before lashing out with another Dragon Tail. Poliwhirl stumbled back as the glowing tail struck him in the stomach. He only ached for a moment, however; raising an arm to block a second strike before striking with another Brick Break that sent Phenom tumbling back. The water type's eyes widened in surprise as Phenom flipped himself mid-tumble, successfully landing on his feet whilst sliding back in a crouching position. The dinosaur's body was bruised up, not to mention dirty from the tumbling, but his eyes were fiery and battle-ready.

While shouting "Good job, Phenom!" Ash felt a mixture of emotions. The young Tyrunt was bringing his A game and doing fairly well, but that aggression was coming back. It hadn't been a big problem for a while; not since Tempest had picked that fight with them a long while back, and he had done what he could to nurture the youngest member of the team properly to nip things in the bud before they could become an issue. But Phenom's species had those instincts by nature, and now that he was beginning to mature, the heat of battle may bring them out more often; he was still a Tyrunt in the end. He'd be sure to review Elacia's packet before bed.

For now, however, he did not let it distract him. As long as things didn't go too far, Phenom's instincts coming out in a fight was a lot less harmful (and certainly more acceptable) than him throwing a temper tantrum in camp, but he needed to ensure that the Tyrunt did not get carried away and leave himself open. In a fight, aggression needed to be channeled properly.

"Thunder Fang, run forward!" Poliwhirl's eyes widened as the Tyrunt's opening jaws revealed the sparks of lightning inside of them. Although Phenom advanced a little bit more slowly this time prior to the previous Brick Break, he was still fairly fast.

Behind Poliwhirl, the girl's voice betrayed anxiety. "Watch out, Poliwhirl!"

She was getting nervous, being cautious and not calling for a counter. They'd have to take advantage of that, and ensure it became a tactical error.

Poliwhirl swayed to the side, avoiding the young dinosaur's electrical jaws as Phenom bit down on the air. Ash nodded. "Roar!" Turning to the side to face his opponent, the Tyrunt opened his mouth once more, and Poliwhirl's eyes widened forward just before the loud blast of shockwaves slammed into him. The impact swept him off of his feet, and a grinning Ash saw his chance. "Poison Fang!"

Now with his teeth dripping in toxic liquid, Phenom lunged for his target just as Poliwhirl tried to pick himself up. The rotund water type let out an agonizing scream as Phenom's jaws sank into his upper backside, easily puncturing the skin as the poison was injected into the water type's body. The Tyrunt held on, squeezing against the backside with his jaws as Poliwhirl struggled to stand against both the dragon's weight, and the increasing pain.

After a few moments of shaking and struggling, Poliwhirl managed to get both of his hands on the Tyrunt, and tenaciously, the water type didn't let the surge of pain stop him as Phenom's clenched jaws were forcefully ripped out of his skin, tossing him overhead and sending him rolling back through the dirt. Stumbling forward, Poliwhirl almost fell flat on his face, but caught himself on his hands, leaving the infected gash left behind by the Poison Fang exposed and visible. Ash frowned at the sight, but pressed onward. The most intense of battles often got far worse than this.

It wouldn't take long for the poison in Poliwhirl's system to start taking effect. Not when it had been inflicted so well. Most Pokemon at this level were very rarely, if ever, able to properly fight against such a condition for long. It took an amount of strength and resilience that those at this level just weren't usually capable of. They'd finish this quickly while he was weakened. "Play Rough!"

Phenom was noticeably slower picking himself up, but still rose to his feet before Poliwhirl could. Body glowing with a pink outline, he lunged forward once more, a series of pounds, kicks, and headbutts cutting off the water type's attempt to rise, leaving him flat on his back. Before anything else could happen, the rotund opponent disappeared in a flash of red.

Holding her Poke Ball with clenched teeth, the girl let out a frustrated but accepting sigh. "Good battle, I forfeit."

The feeling of victory overtook Phenom as his face split into a wide, overjoyed grin. Quickly making his way over to his partner, Ash returned the expression as the young dinosaur turned to face him, and knelt down to pat his head. Phenom quickly leaned into his touch with closed eyes, almost immediately forgetting the surge of adrenaline from the fight.

"Great hustle, Phenom. You're really making strides lately." Now that he was no longer a baby, Phenom's dragon typing had clearly begun bearing fruit. The innate strength and prowess defined them just about as much as a psychic type's mental capacity. Now that the Tyrunt was beginning to truly grow into it, they would continue to hone it into something truly special.

/

"You are approaching Lavender Town, Home of Pokemon Tower."

By now, the tower in question was impossible to miss as Ash and Janine read the sign. Pikachu peaked out of his trainer's backpack to exchange a few casual words with Ivysaur before retracting back in, eliciting mild amusement from Valiant. The mouse was worn out from a day of battling and racking up prize money, but had still chosen to remain outside of his ball, and had found the confines of the backpack oddly comfortable.

Janine let out a yawn as Ash double-checked the sky. By now, it was decently dark, the last bits of orange fading away into the night. "It says here that we're about a half mile away. We can get there pretty quickly on our bikes."

Ash nodded. He wouldn't have minded tackling the last stretch on foot; but the night was going to be a bit late as it is given all the settling in they'd need to do on their arrival, and the rumbling in his stomach gave him additional incentive. They had chosen to postpone dinner until they reached the town's Pokemon Center, so that they'd have enough time to reach Lavender by tonight.

Looking down at Valiant (and gently shaking his backpack to get Pikachu's attention), he asked. "Are you two okay with that? I'll return you for now, but I'll let you out as soon as we get there." His starter popped out of the backpack, climbing onto his shoulder with a nod, as Valiant offered a simple "Go ahead." Beside the young psychic, Ivysaur nodded to Janine as well.

"Alright," as Ash reached for his belt to get Valiant's Poke Ball first, the emotion Pokemon turned in the direction to the tower looming in the near-distance.

From what he could see from here, it was a fairly impressively designed structure. Even when not viewed up close, it was rather eye catching for more than just its size. Taking a few steps forward, he tried to get a better look-

Suddenly, he felt it, and his eyes widened. This was… familiar? But why-

The altar in the forest.

The torches going out. Everything dark.

That… thing emerging to confront him and the Rockets.

His screams.

Just as Valiant realized what he was feeling, his wide-eyed shock disappeared in a flash of red light, and he was returned to his Poke Ball.

/

"What's this?" Necro the Mr. Mime pranced his way over to the camp entrance, face frozen in a crookedly shaped smile. "Reunited already?"

Damian's brow furrowed as he lingered behind a few other soldiers. Ahead of the pack, Silver stood with Neptune, the silver mask concealing his face as the unnerving psychic approached them.

"I'm surprised you're here," the teen executive spoke cooly. "Unless you're also part of the perimeter team? The interior of that tower won't exactly be an ideal location for your kind."

"Ding ding!" Necro's head tilted, frozen expression still unchanging as his mental voice sent shivers up Damian's back. "I'm not scared of ghosts, but I'm here to assist from the outside. As are you, correct?"

"All important missions have more than one layer."

"Indeed they do." Damian's head turned to the direction of the voice, and his blood chilled.

The Iron-Masked Marauder strode towards the group with Scizor by his side. As he stopped a few feet from the red-haired executive, Damian took a step back, hand consciously grasping at his belt.

Silver had to look up to meet Marauder's stare with his own, but did not flinch, both looking the other mask-to-mask as Neptune and Scizor locked eyes. The two Pokemon accompanying them did not move their gazes an inch, an intense focus in their pupils as though they dared the other to look anywhere else.

"Now, now," After a few moments that felt like a lifetime to Damian, Marauder finally spoke up. "That's no way to treat our allies, Scizor."

"Indeed," Silver affirmed. "Relax your muscles, Neptune." The Feraligatr complied, body expression easing as though a button had been pushed, as Scizor finally looked away to scan the rest of Silver's group.

Some of the tension left Damian as Silver closed the distance and offered a hand. "It's an honor to be greeted by you face-to-face."

"It certainly is, young executive."

"'Executive Silver' will do." As Marauder accepted the hand, the two shook. Once they parted, Silver turned to the rest of his unit. "Everyone, go get set up. We will be staying here until the mission is complete."

A few days of sleeping outside instead of underground, the thought came to Damian as he and the rest of the soldiers headed into the camp. Much fresher… but less secure.

/

"Executive Petrel is going to be arriving late." Silver removed his mask as he and Marauder sat at opposite ends of a small table in the command tent. "Due to a scouting mission north of here, so we will be conducting our initial meeting one on one."

"Scouting, huh?" Marauder sat back with devil-may-care posture. "Would this happen to do with the lead received on the power plant?"

"It does, and will likely be your next mission after this, from what Commander Archer says." Silver leaned forwards, hands folded over the table. "For now, you are aware that the target is located at the top floor of Lavender Town's Pokemon Tower, correct?"

"Of course," an excited, bitter smirk stretched across Marauder's lips. "I will be leading the main force through the tower to retrieve it by any means necessary, while you and Executive Petrel command the town perimeter." He lifted a hand to shift his mask. "The tower is the natural habitat to an indeterminable number of ghost Pokemon, who will undoubtedly be territorial in the face of a hostile entrance. Ghosts can be disrupted, however, and we have rehearsed such, also ensuring that the unit is armed with dark typing, known to hunt ghosts." He offered a momentary pause before continuing. "With the immense populace of ghost types, the very atmosphere of the tower is overflowing with distortion, and escape via psychics and teleportation will be more difficult than normal. Disruption will create an opening, however; a window of opportunity. And thanks to our flying types, we have other means to leave. As per the outline, however, it would be best to not try and use flight as a means to attack the top of the tower right away, as doing so could potentially provoke the target into moving downward. We will scale the tower on foot first, and attempt a pincer if need be."

A nod from Silver. "Yes… of course, the main difficulty of the mission has nothing to do with the tower itself, but how the League will respond to it."

Marauder's expression stiffened at that, the atmosphere of the tent becoming far more serious, beyond simply business. "Lavender is Elite Four Agatha's hometown. The moment the League gets word of our attack, she will be the one arriving. The mission's success rests entirely on preventing her from entering the tower."

"Elite Four interference is the reason you failed to retrieve the Moon Stone in the Mt. Moon operation." Silver affirmed. "Back then, Elite Four Karen's intervention was a surprise, but we know what to expect this time around. It is doubtful that the perimeter team will be able to drive Agatha off, so stalling her will be the game plan."

"The failure at Mt. Moon was nothing but a fluke," Marauder asserted. "The target will be secured without issue this time."

"As I'm sure we all intend." Silver nodded back, unfolding his hands. "Of course, the matter of the Moon Stone itself has grown complicated with the mountain still on lockdown, but it is still essential to Operation Origin."

"Meaning we will still be retrieving it."

"At a later date," the teen Executive confirmed. "That portion of our plans has simply been pushed back for the foreseeable future; we will be returning to Mt. Moon to claim it." his fingers drummed against the table. "But for now, this mission plays a part in the operation too."

"With rather interesting implications, given the important lead scouted on Lavender." Marauder grinned, and Silver leaned back in his seat as the hunter continued. "Pokemon Tower of all locations…" through his mask, his eyes locked onto Silver's from across the table, and the red-haired teen showed no resistance. "Executive Silver… are you familiar with the urban legend, 'Divus Magnituden Oceanus Kairyu'?"

Expression at ease, Silver gave pause for a moment… "Enlighten me."

"The ocean is vaster than anything on this planet." Marauder shifted in his seat to find extra comfort. "Many stories and questions never quite understood. But one particular tall tale that was born from such exploration. It started with a song, one that could be heard for miles without a known source. An ominous noise, unable to be comprehensively described with wording. It has such a powerful presence that overtakes the senses, elicits a feeling seemingly beyond our understanding. Many sailors claim to have heard it, and many others try to decipher where it's coming from; what direction needs to be taken to find the source." At his pause, Silver offered the elite hunter a nod, a signal that he was listening. "It is a search that has stretched across numerous generations, for as long as mankind has been out on the ocean, but no official sights to be documented. Plenty to be heard however, and recordings of the song begging to be deciphered throughout the countless years."

"Are you saying some people claimed to have seen the source with their own eyes?"

"Very few, and even fewer whose words may have gotten around, but this legend is a horror story." At that, Silver's brow rose upward, a clear showcase of interest reflected in his eyes. "Would like me to translate the title? 'Dragonite of Divine Size, at the Ocean.'"

Letting out a breath, Silver's hand found his chin. "Do you believe this horror story?"

"As a Pokemon Hunter who has heard the tale, it would be unbecoming of me to not listen to any recordings of the song myself… and compare it to how the species in question is known to sing. It's… distorted, for lack of a better word at the moment. Size isn't the only difference; something else in addition to that is in play here." Now his fingers drumming against the table, his face still beneath his mask. "And that also accounts for how long this legend has been told. We know of other fairy tales, and even confirmations, in certain situations, of a Pokemon being extremely long lived, with seemingly no explanation other than that Pokemon being rather special. And given how magnificent these creatures are, it's easily believable. But in this case… given everything else about the legend…"

"You believe there is a difference." Silver finished for him, and the hunter nodded.

"We are aware of what makes Legendary Pokemon… what they are labeled as." Marauder continued. "They exist on a plane separate from mortality. Far beyond everything else." he offered the young executive a gesture. "But what happens when a mortal Pokemon crosses a certain line? What do they become as a result, and by what means is it even achieved in the first place?"

Understanding spread across Silver's face. "I think I understand the point of this story. This started with talking about Lavender, after all."

Marauder was grinning again, teeth a bitter white as he nodded back at the teen. "And if this mission leads us to what we expect it too… I believe some light may potentially be shed later on." he leaned back in his seat once more. "So… what is your opinion on this, Executive?"

Silver was deep in thought for the next few moments, attempting to absorb everything that he had been told. "I can only say so much about a story that I have just heard, but Team Rocket's past few years of research makes it hard to be a skeptic."

"When you are me, skepticism is impossible." Marauder replied. "You may be an Executive, but you are not yet old enough to know the things that I do. Such details regarding Operation Origin made my contract with your Commander easily signable." his eyes carried a light blaze beneath his mask. "Of course… it's the main event… the endgame of the operation, that is the true reason why I am here. But everything else happening around… it cracks open the secrets of Indigo's underbelly like the shell of an egg from the supermarket… with much to say about the rest of the world by extension." his hands pressed together. "All of these trainers dancing along the road, playing the League's game; but for someone in my line of work, the word "Destiny" carries a meaning far greater."

After a few more moments of contemplation, Silver rose from his seat. "I must go now, but I thank you for your story. Perhaps I'll be spending the night on the internet."

As the young executive exited the tent, Marauder, back rested effortlessly against his seat, looked up at the roof of the intent, thoughts overtaking him as everything flooded throughout his mind.

"A trainer merely seeks to master the Pokemon world." he spoke aloud to nobody but himself. "A Pokemon Hunter aims to take it for themselves."